Assignment task: Do you agree with these statement please answer them separately.
1. The International Fund for Agricultural Development's (IFAD) approach to agricultural development is heavily influenced by strategic thinking. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) can allocate funds and support initiatives that cater to the particular needs of smallholder farmers and rural communities in developing countries by conducting an analysis of the current global agricultural landscape, setting long-term goals, and creating effective strategies. This article examines the value of strategic thinking for IFAD and how it affects the development of agriculture.
An extensive examination of IFAD's current circumstances serves as the foundation for strategic thinking. This entails analyzing the state of the world's agriculture, comprehending the difficulties smallholder farmers face, and spotting new opportunities. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the environment in which IFAD operates, it is necessary to carefully evaluate factors like climate change, market dynamics, technological advancements, and policy frameworks.
After evaluating the current situation, IFAD can establish long-term objectives for agricultural development. These objectives should be in line with the mission of IFAD and take into account the particular requirements and aspirations of smallholder farmers and rural communities. For IFAD's projects and investments, long-term goals offer a clear course and act as a compass.
2. After analyzing the case study it seems that IFAD originally lost touch with its original mission which was to focus on the poorest of the poor in rural areas. The IEE's intervention is a great example of showcasing the truth behind the "strategic thinking" definition. The most important part was the fact that there was a plan. From this plan the IEE was able to lay the path for IFAD and bring it back to its origins. I think that many companies end up straying too far from its original path, a great example is Apple. Apple used to be so innovative, however, after the passing of Steve Jobs Apple began to lose its innovative path. Every product Apple comes out with for at least the past 5 years have just been copy and paste with slight technological advancements, not necessarily innovations. The case study states that IFAD's technical niche is rural development and so it brought back the focus on that area instead of IFAD focusing on other projects such as the generic infrastructural/institutional interventions it mentioned. The IFAD also bit off more than it could chew with its overly optimistic target demand and trying to compete with IFIs which have a larger lending capacity. Overall, the arrival of IEE was vital in setting IFAD back on a realistic path. The most recent performance report showed that IFAD had performed better than the targets in three areas: project relevance, innovation and gender focus.